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The village of Elmley was a settlement of around 200 people in the late 19th century. It consisted of the Turkey Cement Works, which was the major employer for the area, as well as a school, a church, a public house and 30 dwellings. The cement works closed in 1902 and the population dwindled thereafter. Elmley School closed in the 1920s and the church was demolished in the 1960s, although the graves remain as of 2009.[2]

There was also once a ferry service crossing the Swale to Murston (near Sittingbourne).[3]

The last surviving buildings of the village are the Grade II listed 'Kingshill Farmhouse'[4] and 'Kingshill Farmhouse Barn'[5]

In the 1970s a bird reserve was established on the marshes. It forms part of the Elmley National Nature Reserve, which is owned and managed by the Elmley Conservation Trust.[6] It covers 3,250 acres (13.2 km2) and is one of the largest bird reserves in England.